Abstract:
The installation of different renewable energy
systems is gaining momentum globally, as governments and
industry seek to reduce carbon emissions and fossil fuel usage.
PV systems have become more common place, as evidenced by
the number of PV array roof-installations visible in many
communities today. However, it is assumed that the modules in
these arrays are identical, as it is important to have similar
currents flow through each branch of an array. Partial shading
or unmatched PV modules may lead to power mismatches, hot
spots and ultimately a lower overall output power than what is
desired. The purpose of this paper is to present a simplified
measuring approach to validate the operating performance of
two identical PV modules by determining their switch-on time.
Any significant differences in switch-on time between identical
PV modules could lead to possible power mismatches in a PV
array. Results confirm that both PV modules are very similar in
switch-on time, with an average on-time difference of 2 minutes
and 27 seconds.. This indicates that both PV modules start
operating at roughly the same time of the day, thereby providing
similar current flows which contribute to the optimum
performance of a PV array.
